Project information
Doctoral student
Le Kuai
Supervisors
Sigurdur Ormarsson and Marie Johansson, Linnaeus University
Johan Vessby, Linnaeus University and Karlstad University
Project start
Sept 2018
Subject
Building technology (Department of Building Technology, Faculty of Technology)
More about the project
During the last few decades, around 90 % of wooden family houses in Sweden have been constructed using light-frame timber walls and roof structures of slender timber trusses. Now some manufacturers of single-family houses have started to build low and mid-rise timber buildings with an innovative modular-based construction method.
The advantage of this construction method is the low material consumption and the high prefabrication degree of the elements. However, there still exist challenges. All modules in multi-story buildings need to be designed for high compression and shear force action. Fully prefabricated modules are also heavy elements that become significantly loaded while transported and lifted. To solve these challenges, some advanced models need to be developed to simulate such innovative constructions with good flexibility and accuracy.
This doctoral project aims to establish efficient and flexible finite element models that will be used to analyse the three-dimensional structural behaviour of multi-storey timber buildings. In particular, the models are used to analyse the structures while loaded in shear, e.g. by wind load. The models are full 3D but still computationally effective and flexible with respect to geometrical design, since they are implemented by means of user-friendly python scripts in a finite element software. This work should result in a flexible and general tool capable to assist researchers and manufacturers in analysing the global stability of multi-storey timber structures.
The Knowledge Foundation, the Södra Foundation for Research and Smart Housing Småland (SHS) financially support this work. A number of wood building companies in Sweden such as Derome Plusshus, Moelven Byggmodul, OBOS and VIDA Buildings participate in the project.
